UNDER THE VEHICLE – FRONT

10 CHECK WHEELS & TYRES

Check all tyres for cracking, kerbing, bulging, cuts and foreign objects. Also make sure they’re road legal, with at least 2mm of tread evenly across the rubber. Rock the wheels top to bottom to check for suspension play, then spin them and listen for the low drone of a worn bearing.

11 REMOVE ROAD WHEELS

As with nearly all modern cars, the i20 has locking wheelnuts, so locate the key tool and remove the road wheels. Once off, check the ABS wiring, steering and suspension components and look for brake line leaks, split gaiters and CV boots, and broken road springs.

12 CHECK FRONT BRAKES

Before anything else, clean the brakes with a wire bush and proprietary brake cleaner. Turn the disc rim against a flat-blade screwdriver to remove any excess rust. Also check for a lip forming on the disc as it starts to wear out. You can do a visual check on the pad condition through the cut-out in the calipers.

13 DISMANTLE BRAKES

If you want to do a thorough check on the brakes by removing the caliper, you’ll need a 14mm socket or spanner for the rear caliper bolt, while you hold the inner nut with a 17mm spanner. Lift the caliper away from the disc and remove the pads to check and clean them.

14 FURTHER CLEAN BRAKES

Once the pads and calipers are clear, continue with the cleaning process. Proprietary spray brake cleaner is a good idea, along with a wire brush. The clips in which the pads mount should be removed and cleaned; you can do this most effectively by putting them in a vice and using a wire brush on them.

15 CLEAN & LUBRICATE PADS

If there’s at least 3mm of friction material left on the pads and they’re free from any oil or grease contamination, they can be reused. Clean them by rubbing their fronts against abrasive paper laid on a flat surface. Apply some grease to their rears and mounting lugs.

16 LUBRICATE OTHER ITEMS

Put the pad clips back in place and apply some copper grease (or brake grease) to those as well, after which you can put the pads back. The caliper bolts will also need lubrication, to ensure that they slide easily, and apply some grease to the hub flanges before you refit the wheel. Now reassemble.

17 REMOVE UNDERTRAY

To drain the oil, change its filter and check the transmission fluid, you’ll need to remove the undertray. Hyundai has been a little excessive with its fasteners: there are seven 10mm screws to undo, followed by 11 plastic trim clips. With the undertray off, you can properly check the steering rack and driveshaft gaiters.

18 CHECK GEARBOX OIL LEVEL

The transmission oil check plug is on the side of the gearbox. Undo it with a 17mm socket and, if the oil doesn’t run out as you loosen it, dip in a finger to verify the fluid is up to the neck. The oil shouldn’t be murky, smell burnt or be contaminated with metal filings.

19 DRAIN ENGINE OIL

Partially remove the engine oil dipstick to allow the oil to drain out more easily. You’ll find the 17mm oil drain plug on the sump bottom. You’ll need a container underneath sufficient for about 3.5 litres. Drain the oil when warm, but not hot, to avoid scalding.

20 RENEW SUMP WASHER

The sump plug has a separate aluminium washer to prevent leaks. If it looks in good order, it can be reused. However, if it was dripping before you took it off or looks damaged in any way, renew it. The sump plug should be torqued up to 35Nm.

21 UNDO OIL FILTER

The oil filter is adjacent to the sump. Use a filter wrench to undo it. After removing the filter, compare it with the new one to make sure they’re the same. Smear some engine oil around the sealing ring on the top of the new filter, then do it up hand-tight.

22 REFILL ENGINE OIL

Refill the engine oil via the filler cap under the bonnet, using a funnel to avoid spillage. Capacity is officially 3.5 litres of 5W-30 fully-synthetic, but due to residual stuff being left over, you won’t get all that in. Put in about 2.5 litres, start the engine briefly, then top up until full on the dipstick.

23 CHECK UNDERBODY

With the car off the ground and safely secure, get underneath and give it a thorough check. Search for signs of damage or corrosion, although both are unlikely on a car of this age. Specific areas to focus on include the exhaust, its mountings and shields, and any exposed brake and fuel lines.

24 FURTHER CHECKS

One vulnerable spot underneath is the rear exhaust heat shield. It’s prone to corroding and working loose. There’s also an aircon pipe that exits underneath – fluid from it can lead people to worry there’s a coolant leak. It’s worth locating so you’ll know in future.

25 CHECK HANDBRAKE

After you’ve done the same checks on the rear wheels as at the front, take them off and check the suspension, brake lines, etc. Inspect the handbrake cables on each wheel: with the handbrake off, the ends should be resting on their stops, as shown here. Lubricate the cables, too.

26 ADJUST HANDBRAKE

If handbrake adjustment is required after your check of the rear wheels cables, lever off the plastic cover in the rear of the interior centre console storage space. Slacken off the 12mm bolt underneath until there’s no gap between the cable ends and the stops on the wheels.

27 CHECK REAR BRAKES

The rear disc brakes are mirrors of the fronts, so follow the same cleaning and examination process. Check all the suspension and brake components. Make sure there’s no lip on the brake disc and that the pads aren’t too worn, then thoroughly clean the whole area with a wire brush and spray cleaner.

28 CHECK ALL LIGHTS

Run through the exterior lights to make sure they’re working – if you need to inspect the brake and reversing lamps, back up to a wall and check the reflections. Also try out all the controls and make sure the instruments are functioning as intended. Check the seatbelts for wear, tear and tension.

29 CHECK WIPERS

Inspect the wiper blades at the front and rear. Perished, splitting or torn rubber could allow the metal underneath to permanently mark the glass. Also ensure that the bonnet washer jets aim properly, readjusting them if necessary.

30 CHECK SPARE TYRE

There’s a spacesaver spare wheel under the boot’s false floor. Check it’s fit for use and that it’s pumped up to 60psi. Apply grease to the threads of the wheel’s securing spindle. The car’s toolkit sits in its well, so make sure that is complete.

31 REMOVE GLOVEBOX

Access to the pollen filter is behind the glovebox. On the left-hand side is a stopper that can be unclipped by squeezing together the plastic retaining tabs with pliers and then pulling off the damper. For access to the filter cover, squeeze in both sides of the glovebox and pull it forward, allowing the glovebox to just hang.

32 CHANGE POLLEN FILTER

Behind the glovebox, you’ll see a grey cover with two clips, which need to be squeezed in. Once removed, slide out the old element, taking note of its how it is fitted so you can fit its replacement the same way. Clear any debris from the box before you put in the new filter.

33 RESET SERVICE INTERVAL

To reset the service interval, turn on the ignition and use the trip button on the steering wheel to get to the service interval indicator (the spanner symbol). Press and hold ‘reset’ until the symbol flashes. Release ‘reset’, then press it again while the symbol’s still flashing to complete the process.